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Regrettably, it’s about bloody time Forest – it has become increasingly clear that he isn’t going to get us out of it. Smoulders has never really won the hearts or minds of Forest fans, so would always be afforded little leeway in times such as these.

The new gaffer has to be able to operate in the January transfer window as it becomes abundantly clear we don’t have a squad good enough for consolidation in this league; and the squad was largely assembled by Smoulderwood. So it would be difficult to trust him to strengthen effectively.

Whether this was a ‘final straw’ move by the board in the wake of a truly shameful performance or whether it was planned – it’s hard to know. I suppose the speed with which a replacement is announced will give us that answer – there are some truly terrifying names out of work at the moment, so it leaves me feeling very much out of the frying pan and into the fire.

However, something did have to change – and whilst I always quite liked Smoulderwood the man (and indeed, the ‘Smoulderwood’ character), he’s never quite cut the mustard as a manager.

So best wishes to you, Colin. And well done Forest board, I was thinking on the way home listening to his post match interview that those two late goals might have saved him, thankfully not. It’s not the nicest Christmas for the Calderwood or Kerslake households, but frankly, needs must.

Smoulders: Gone in the wake of a shameful performance against Doncaster..

Nottingham Forest – 2
Doncaster Rovers – 4

Those two lateish goals make this scoreline, whilst not respectable, appear not as bad as this game actually was. Without being disrespectful to our visitors, to be three-nil down – and deservedly so – at half time against the bottom of the league team is generally a pretty unacceptable state of affairs. To do so whilst being so hopeless and without any fight doubly so.

Of course, Donny are no strangers to us of late – we know they’re a passing side, and today they showed that – passing rings around us at will. They typically don’t score many, nor do they let many in, today our clown defending allowed one of those statistics to be emphatically shattered before half time, and some Nathan Tyson-inspired resurgence saw Rovers ship a couple too later on in the game.

Oddly Smoulds opted to change the side that performed well at Southampton, dropping Thornhill and Davies in favour of Perch returning from suspension, and McGugan recovering from injury. Now, on paper that’s understandable, I’m a big admirer of the role of both players, but I’m also a big believer of not changing something that works. Tough call, really, I suppose – and had the result been better we probably wouldn’t have questioned it.

Having moved seats to the Upper Brian Clough stand to accommodate some seasonal familial visitors, it was interesting to listen the fans in Capital One corner, who graduated from chants of ‘Calderwood’s red n white army’, and berating some fellow fans who presumably had some kind of banner (and were eventually ejected to jeers of ‘You should’ve sat with the Donny!’.

In the midst of this Rovers scored their second, and of course it wasn’t long before vitriol was being spat in whatever direction fans were facing. Understandable, as we were awful – but it really shows up Forest fans as so fickle that they can’t make their mind up over 90 minutes – because within an hour they’d be singing ‘You will be sacked in the morning!’ Silly or what? Perhaps, but well, if that were 11 men playing for a manager they like, then they don’t like him very much.

Smoulds got it pretty much spot on post-match, he said we were awful with the ball – but even worse without it. We were hopeless. Lynch was horrifically bad-mouthed by sections of the crowd, and he was pretty awful, no, he was terrible. Smoulderwood suggested that he was injured rather than subbed at half time just before being rubbish, which perhaps might mitigate some of the terribleness.

So anyway, the game – it was woeful, turgid and poor – you don’t need to hear any more than that. Nathan Tyson really made a difference when he came on as a substitute; and that’s about all there is to smile about. Except breaking news that this result has cost Smoulderwood his job.

Thanks for your efforts, Colin – but you really had to go. Kerslake has gone too.

Barring a second half miracle, we are set to lose in fairly emphatic fashion at home to Doncaster Rovers.

Assuming that miracle doesn’t occur, then I can’t imagine what more Smoulderwood could serve up to justify him being relieved of his duties.

That said, sad to see and hear “fans” spitting hateful comments at Lynch in particular. It’s true he’s had an awful game, but he’s by no means the only one.

This is the kind of game that we could use a bit of Breckin-inspired composure at the back… Oh. Never mind. Losing to Rovers isn’t exactly shocking, but to be three nil down at half time is shameful.

Still, I shall brave the second half in the vain hope of something miraculous; tis the season after all. If we carry on as we were then this could get (even more) embarrassing, and full time boos will be justified. As will full time booze.

The players are out, greeted by more boos, Bennett and Tyson on for Lynch and Anderson.. My money is on this finishing three nil…